The Ultimate Sacrifice
by divsalley
Summary: Lu Ten makes the ultimate sacrifice to save his father from the man he has become due to the Fire Nation's demands.


A lone, hooded figure made it's way across the breached Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. He kept his path lit with a strong, flickering flame in the palm of his hand. As soon as he crossed over to the other side, his destination was in sight. Green tents were pitched everywhere, bathed in the soft moonlight. He extinguished the flame with a scrunch of his palm as he waited outside, thinking of the last time he'd waited like this with such a feeling of dread...

* * *

_He was standing outside his father's tent, waiting to speak with him. The two guards who stood outside bowed to him slightly._

_"I need to speak with General Iroh," the young man said._

_"Of course, sir," one of the guards said as he moved aside to let him in._

_As he walked in, a serene sight greeted his eyes. Iroh was meditating. The only source of light in the tent were the circle of candles around him. The young man smiled as he sat down right in front of him, simply waiting._

_"How ironic that he's still a spiritual man... after everything he's had to do," he thought._

_Iroh opened his eyes slowly to be greeted by a pleasant sight. His son was sitting right in front of him, waiting to speak with him._

_"Lu Ten! What brings you out of your tent?" Iroh asked his son._

_"I need your advice, father," Lu Ten said sadly._

_The old general's expression turned grave as he looked at his son. Something was definitely bothering him._

_"What is it?" he asked._

_"You've been... fighting this war ever since you were young, right?" Lu Ten asked._

_"I have," Iroh answered gravely._

_"So... you've had to kill someone in combat at some point," Lu Ten stated._

_Iroh sighed. "Lu Ten... We've been through this... What happened out there two days ago... it had to be done. This is war. Sacrifices have to be made," he said._

_"But this is __**their land!**__ We're taking over their resources! And for __**what?"**__ Lu Ten yelled. "You always taught me to fight honorably... to always choose my battles. But this... this is anything __**but**__ honorable! We're robbing them of their own resources!"_

_"You knew what you were getting into when you asked to join me on this mission," Iroh said gravely. "You knew what was at stake and what you'd have to do! You were proud to do it, too! Why now are you so disgusted by it?"_

_"How can you __**not**__ be? You were once the kind of man who'd never stand up for this kind of slaughter! But now... now you're the __**cause!"**__ Lu Ten retorted._

_Iroh simply looked at his son, not knowing what to say._

_"My son... I've done some things I'm not proud of... mainly because that is what is expected of me, as the Crown Prince. Soon, you will have to carry that burden. Only then will you understand the politics of it all. I know I've tried to teach you the best I could. But things like these... they can't be taught. You'll learn as time goes by," Iroh said._

_Lu Ten's eyes widened at this. "Father, listen to yourself! You __**know**__ how wrong this is! And yet you don't feel the need to do anything about it! You're __**still**__ going through with the siege!" he remarked._

_"We came here on a mission, Lu Ten. We can't lose sight of that," Iroh warned._

_"It's _**_you_**_ who has lost sight of what's important, father," Lu Ten said sadly. "The father I knew and loved is buried somewhere deep within the man that you have become in this quest for power!" he finished and left without another word, leaving Iroh stunned._

* * *

"I **_have_** to do this," he told himself firmly as he walked in.

"Prince Lu Ten," the his father's Earth Kingdom counterpart greeted.

"Is he here?" Lu Ten asked.

"He will be," the General said. "I was surprised when your messenger hawk arrived, to be honest... We didn't expect a traitor in the Fire Nation ranks... let alone the Prince."

"I don't expect you to understand, General," Lu Ten replied evenly.

"Then help us to," a third voice said.

Lu Ten turned around and found a tall man in green and black robes smirking at him. His piercing, jade eyes seemed to bore into his, as if demanding an answer.

"You must be Long Feng," Lu Ten stated.

The man simply nodded as he sat opposite Lu Ten. "Prince Lu Ten of the Fire Nation... Why did you ask for this meeting?"

"I need to ask a favor of you... something that would help you win this battle... and keep Ba Sing Se safe," Lu Ten stated.

"I'm afraid your father has made that impossible. He's a force to be reckoned with," Long Feng said.

"True... but he also has his weaknesses," Lu Ten said slyly.

"Do enlighten us, then," Long Feng said, not hiding the sarcasm in his voice.

"Me," Lu Ten said simply.

"Explain," Long Feng demanded.

"We need to break his spirit. And the only way that's going to happen is if he loses me," Lu Ten said.

"What exactly are you suggesting, **_Commander?"_** the Earth Kingdom General asked.

"General Iroh is preparing to lay siege to Ba Sing Se and finish the battle once and for all. He must be stopped," Lu Ten said.

"I'm glad we agree on that, Prince Lu Ten... However, I doubt your loyalties would shift so drastically," Long Feng said spitefully.

"Take my help or leave it. I'm giving you a chance at freedom. I assure you that by sunset tomorrow, Ba Sing Se will be Fire Nation territory if he has his way," Lu Ten said, his temper rising.

"What the Grand Secretariat is trying to say, Commander, is that we'd like to know **_why_** you've decided to help us when you're on the verge of victory," the General said.

"I'm trying to help my father," Lu Ten said sadly. Long Feng laughed heartily.

**_"Help_** him? You're **_defying_** your own legacy... If anything, it'd break his heart," Long Feng said.

"It **_needs_** to be broken... and **_I _**must be the one to do it. The question now is, are you going to help me or not?" Lu Ten demanded, his golden irises blazing like the element he commanded.

* * *

Lu Ten woke up the next morning with a heavy heart. He picked up a piece of parchment which had a rough but accurate sketch of him and walked over to his calligraphy set and pondered what he wanted to write. He sighed as he scrawled his message and reviewed it.

_See you after we win the war, father.  
Your son, Lu Ten._

He carefully put his armor on walked out to join his men, who were waiting for his command. He surveyed them with the keen eyes of a warrior as he walked past them and spoke.

"Today's the day. Today's the day we write history. The Fire Nation will finally take Ba Sing Se and claim victory in this war. I am honored to have fought this legendary battle with you. Let's make the Fire Nation proud!" Lu Ten said, cursing himself for lying through his teeth in the name of patriotism.

"Into your tanks, men! Benders, lead the front! Let's go!" he said as he marched with his men as the tanks went ahead towards the breached Outer Wall, where Earth Kingdom battalions stood ready to strike.

"Attack!" Lu Ten ordered. A deafening roar rent the air as all the tanks and benders struck as one, illuminating the place with the most brilliant light. Lu Ten advanced through the soldiers quickly, trying to get to the Earth Kingdom General for a one on one combat.

The General himself was battling fiercely; sending tidal waves of earth and decapitating multitudes of firebenders in the process. He was ready to attack another line of Fire Nation tanks when Lu Ten sent a strong blast of fire right through the shifting slabs.

The General attacked with ferocity as Lu Ten tried to avoid wave after wave of earth that shot at him from all different directions. As he did so, Lu Ten constantly thought about what he was doing... For a second he contemplated really fighting back... to abandon his foolish quest to change his father's heart...

But then he remembered a different man... A man who'd laughed and played and cried with him... A man who'd loved him and raised him and protected him the best he could... The man who'd faded away because of their nation's demands...

"I have to bring him back," he told himself.

Lu Ten eased from his battle stance as he looked at the General. For a moment they stared at each other; golden eyes looking into green. Then in one, swift motion, the General struck a fatal blow that struck the Prince right in his chest. And as Lu Ten fell, all he could think about was the father he'd known and loved... the man he was doing this for... To bring that loving, caring man back from the recesses of his father's hardened heart.

"Know that I did this out of love, father... And I hope that in death, at least, I will set you free," he thought as his world faded to black.


End file.
